Broke and Hungry, only a week old, has already earned a following of friends, family and curious/confused on-lookers. Thanks to all our avid readers - especially those with tips to share! And if you are broke and hungry and have a recipe to share, send it on.
As Bryan mentioned, B&H went on the road Sunday to our friend Gretchen's house for a meal of Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce.
When we arrived, we were greeted with appetizers of Goat Cheese with Bell Pepper Dressing. Slices of goat cheese were draped with a tri-color bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, coriander, fennel, pine nuts and olive oil and served on slivers of toasted baguette.
The total cost for a 6 person serving (for the four of us) was $6.85 or $1.71 per person.I brought over two white wines that I had just purchased, and we sipped on the Riesling while watching Gretchen move on to broil the tilapia.
Living in old houses in West Philadelphia sometimes have their advantages, principally that old ovens are usually both gas range and have an under oven broiler. This is a separate drawer (that many people use to store bakeware) that is positioned very close the oven's flame--high heat, short cook times. One of my old roommates used to cook steaks in ours and would always set off the smoke alarm--but he made delicious steaks in five minutes.
Gretchen placed the tilapia filets on a sheet of parchment paper and brushed them lightly with sesame seed oil. The tilapia cost $8.39 or $2.10 per person.She then worked on the sauce, which again included bell peppers alongside ginger, garlic, green onions, curry powder, red curry paste, coconut milk, brown sugar, cumin, and soy sauce.
It also used a generous portion of cilantro, which is more than just my favorite herb, it competes for my favorite taste of all time and is why I am drawn to any recipe that uses it. Back in Austin, where I grew up, it's the staple of any good Tex-Mex dish. Cilantro also plays a central part of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, which I am committed to learning how to cook this year (in addition to Indian and more seafood).
Considering how much I use it at home, I should really grow my own. I have a tendency to neglect houseplants, but maybe cilantro and other herbs will earn more attention from me as I envision a future for them in various dishes.
So, after sauteing the peppers and onions, mixing with spices and adding the coconut milk, Gretchen pulled the tilapia out of the broiler and plated it on top of bowls of basmati rice (again my favorite rice).
Here is a picture of the finished meal, which was very flavorful and one that I plan to replicate at home. Top it with a few more cilantro sprigs and a squeeze of fresh cut lime and you've got a rock concert on top of that fish.With the tilapia and the sauce, the cost was $13.09 or merely $3.27 per person.
After dinner we had some mint chocolate chip ice cream: $1.19 per person.
So the cost breakdown...
Appetizers:
$6.85 or $1.71 per person
Main Course:
$13.09 or merely $3.27 per person
Dessert:
$4.76 or $1.19 per person
TOTAL: $24.70 or $6.18 per person
Here's the chef with her creation
Author's note: The first two meals--King Salmon and Filet Mignon--were purposely chosen to be slightly provocative. Organic King Salmon and Filet Mignon on a blog called Broke and Hungry?!? Usually considered out of the price range for many folks, I wanted to show that even those high priced items can be prepared inexpensively.Now, Bryan and I do not eat that richly every week, in fact with easy access to a great farmer's market, most of our diet is made up of whatever fresh produce is available. Right now we cannot get enough of ripe tomatoes and sweet corn.
On Bryan's recommendation, we will work on creating some theme posts where we demonstrate how to make a delicious and filling vegetarian meal...which is saying something considering our upbringing as good Midwestern and Southern boys with a penchant for meat-centric meals. We are also thinking of doing a Friday Under Five post, where we make a meal that costs less than $5.00 per person...so stay tuned and share us with your friends and co-workers. And send us your favorite inexpensive meal ideas.
Now, food undressed:
Oops, I forgot to mention the bruschetta... this is where we started the evening. This is really just a great, simple dish. I focused on cutting up half a loaf of Italian bread, applying a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then a leaf of basil, slice of tomato and of marinated mozzarella. Drizzle on a bit more olive oil and throw it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes and you've got the perfect way to start your night. So much fun to eat your appetizer while you cook your main course.
We started the main course preparation by sauteing together a vegetable mix: onions, red peppers, asparagus and mushrooms. As you can see, it looked damn good. 
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